About Us

When Islam Bakeer brought his wife Eman to the states in 1990, he had already been working in the food industry. For years he cooked down in D.C., while she went to beauty school and eventually began cutting hair at a nearby salon. Over time they welcomed three girls into the world, and Islam felt it was time to open up a restaurant of his own.

Starting up the first Middle Eastern restaurant in the area was a risk, but Islam saw it as an opportunity to offer up new flavors to the locals and took his chance. In 2000, with ten years of restaurant experience under his belt and his mother's home-style cooking in his blood, Islam and Eman dropped everything and began building Cedar Cafe from the ground up.

It was no small task, but hard work, a supportive family, and loyal customers helped but the restaurant on its feet. Now 15 years later, Cedar Cafe still offers a wide range of Lebanese dishes to the locals in Burke, VA, serving up everything from fresh mazza salads and homemade sambousak, to sizzling kabobs and a wide selection of sandwiches and platters. The staff at Cedar Cafe put authenticity and consistency above all else, and are diligent in making sure that each plate we send out is prepared fresh and with care.